Over the last year, we have concentrated our efforts on clearing brush, pruning dead trees, removing stumps and pulling & spraying ivy, privet and other nuisance plants at Sylvester Cemetery. We feel that our maintenance efforts have paid off to the point that we can now focus some of our energy to the repair of broken head stones. Dennis has spent the last month or so testing the different types of epoxy, adhesive and caulk available commercially to repair broken granite and marble. We have gotten advice from local sources on how to go about this task and we came up with a couple of products that seem to accomplish our goal of making a strong bond that can withstand the heat and dampness here in Georgia. The work has gone pretty well so far and the following stones have been repaired using a stone-based epoxy:

Angeline Purdy - This is a tall, thin granite head stone that had been broken off near the base. The epoxy was applied on both pieces of stone and then was supported by a wooden brace until it was thoroughly dry. The gray- tinted epoxy worked well with the 103 year old gray granite stone.

Infant of W.J. & Z.L. Clay  This small, thin granite head stone was broken into three pieces so the repair had to be done in two steps so that each section could thoroughly dry before returning it to its base. Mr. and Mrs. Clay have eight small headstones on their plot for their children that died before reaching three years old. This fact dramatically illustrates the number of children who died around the turn of the 18th century before the development of penicillin and other modern medicines.

Raymond Eugene Freeman  This small granite stone was broken into three pieces and the base was sunken below ground level. The head stone had been damaged by a large tree that fell and the plot was totally covered with dead tree limbs and vines over many years. The submerged granite base was dug up and a new sub-base was put in so that the headstone could be reset level. A small part of the carving of a lamb on top of the head stone was not recovered.

William Johnson Dunaway  This is a very tall gray granite head stone that had fallen (or been pushed) over. The base was sunken below the ground surface at an angle and the head stone was broken into two pieces. The entire stone was lying flat on the ground under four or five inches of soil, vines and leaves and we came across it when we brush-hogged the area last winter. The engraving is remarkably crisp and clear, considering that the head stone is 108 years old, probably because it was protected from the elements over the years by the debris covering it.

W.H. Faith  This is a very tall gray granite head stone that had been broken into four pieces, probably when it was hit by a falling limb. Fortunately, the broken pieces were recovered on the ground near the head stone and were able to be rejoined with stone epoxy. This head stone had been repaired previously using concrete and it did not hold up over the years. The Faith Family Plot also has a tall monument that is tilting from ground settlement (and the upper section of the monument has separated from the base) and the rear granite wall has collapsed. We are trying to locate relatives to enable complete restoration of this prominent Atlanta family's plot.